1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to games where the purpose of the game is to find a hidden object. The present invention also relates to games where objects are mixed amongst fill material, wherein hidden objects become visible when the fill material is agitated.
2. Prior Art Description
The prior art is replete with board games where different objects are hidden behind doors, flaps or in similar compartments on the playing board. The problem with seek and find games having compartments is that once a child plays the game, the child becomes familiar with the location of the hidden objects and the game quickly loses its novelty. In certain seek and find games, cards and other exchangeable items are hidden in the compartments. This prevents players from knowing what objects are hidden in the various compartments. However, in such seek and find games, a person must place the varying items within the different compartments. As such, either a person who is not playing the game must be enlisted to set up the game, else one of the players will know what objects are hidden and where. Some games, such as Cranium Cariboo™ by Hasbro of Pawtucket, Rhode island use ball-shaped objects that automatically intermix. However, for most game types, the varying of objects in compartments remains a large problem.
In recent years, there has been a resurgence in seek and find games, where small objects are mixed in among a much larger volume of granular fill, such as sand or beads. The mixture is held in a container having at least one transparent section. The various objects become hidden among the fill. Those objects are then searched for by shaking or squeezing the container in order to agitate the fill. Seek and find games that hide objects among a granular fill have been in existence for over one-half century and are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,311,226 to Oliver, entitled Advertising Display Can. A current poplar seek and find game is Find-it™, distributed by Find-it Games, Inc of Snohomish, Wash.
In the present invention, elements of seek and find granular fill games are used as an underlay for a compartment seek and find game. The two technologies complement each other to produce a game where the contents in a compartment can be kept unknown even if the game is set up by the players. The structure of the new game and its associated method of play are described and claimed below.